Seared Ahi for Mom

Even though most folks take mom OUT for Mother's Day, I thought I'd dish up an exciting seared tuna recipe for those of you cooking for that special lady. She’ll adore this light, gourmet dish and its Asian-inspired marinade – a zesty blend of citrus-spiked ponzu sauce, soy sauce, sesame, lime, ginger, and garlic. If she's not a fish-lover, you can use the marinade on practically anything - chicken, pork, shrimp, steak. One caveat, don't marinate seafood for longer than 1 hour or the acidic ingredients will start to “cook” the fish.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Ponzu Glaze

1/4 cup ponzu sauce

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced

1 teaspoon hot Chinese-style mustard

4 (5-ounce) ahi tuna steaks (about 1-inch thick)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

In a shallow dish, whisk together the ponzu sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and mustard. Season both sides of the tuna steaks with salt and pepper and add the tuna to the ponzu mixture. Turn to coat both sides (when marinating, cover the fish with plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 hour).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tuna steaks to the hot pan and cook 30 to 45 seconds per side, until seared on the outside and raw in the middle.

Slice the tuna crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange on a serving plate. Top with chopped green onions.

Serves 4